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Being Your Whole Self

September 24, 2012 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

You are physical, logical, emotional, and spiritual.

You are more complete when you focus on the whole person.

We accomplish more when we are “in balance.”

However, sometimes, we get stuck in one quadrant. For example, we spend too much time being logical and not enough time being creative. Or, we spend all day sitting, and no time walking. Sometimes, we feel bad because we’re don’t “believe” anymore.

Usually, when we’re “stuck,” we’re also out of balance. What part of you feels diminished lately?

Maybe it’s time to take a few moments and fill yourself up.

[Read more…]

After Years of Marriage

May 22, 2012 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

Boldly she wore pink; he, however, was timidly draped in brown.

She exploded with brightness while the wood-grained walls of the airport restaurant swallowed him whole. She came forward; he fell back.

A gentle, refined seasoning of white complimented her look: sweater, sneakers, and beautifully coiffed hair. From my mother’s day she came – and wore her age with proud, enthusiastic confidence.

His aura — sluggish and thick — was the perfect fit for his oversized waist and heavy movements. If not for her vibrancy to serve as a counterweight, he would have been invisible, absorbed by the background of the dimly lit restaurant.

Despite differences, their body language shared a history woven into long-term couples. They had seen much together; it was that bond that held them close.

He stared out the window, a leather-bound menu closed in front of him. Although the tarmac was busy, he was not watching the commotion; his eyes were fixed in space as he tried to remove himself from the discussion.

“What about your weight?” She asked. In her emphatic determination, there was no cruelty; simply the loving concern of a spouse who’s had this same discussion time and again. Whereby it would be wise for others not to venture there, wives have privilege; they walk where most wisely do not tread. “I don’t want to be a pest. It’s just the doctor said if you don’t watch what you eat, you’ll have another heart attack.”

“I’m tired of rabbit food,” he said, struggling to hold down his emotion. “I want something real. When I’m done eating, I want to know I had a meal.” He didn’t look at her; he was speaking to the window.

“I know,” she said, compassion in her voice. “Please…”

[Read more…]

Obesity and Fat Wars: Us Versus Them

May 9, 2012 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

A recent study presented to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Weight of the Nation conference projects that if Americans keep getting heavier at the current rate, 42 percent of us will be obese by 2030. That means, in less than 20 years, we will be sharing our country with an additional 32 million obese Americans, causing us to pony up a whopping $549.5 billion — over half a trillion dollars — in medical expenditures between now and then.

For comparison, the obesity rate has been hovering at an already-alarming 36 percent, or about 78 million adults, for the last decade. The projected increase will swell the ranks of the obese (no pun intended) to north of 100 million. In addition, the severely obese — about 100 pounds over healthy weight — will more than double from its current five percent to 11 percent.

We know obese folks are at greater risk for a multitude of weight-related diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, sleep apnea and even cancer. Obviously, they therefore will account for a greater proportion of medical costs. “They also have a much shorter life expectancy and generate greater lifetime medical costs, suggesting that future health care costs may continue to increase even if obesity prevalence levels off,” the study’s authors say.

There is a minor bright spot, albeit more a dim bulb than a spotlight. Researchers discovered that although obesity is increasing, it’s increasing at a decreasing rate. (You take your good news where you find it.) Unhappily, the data did not include children, so, on the other hand, these estimates might be low, as obese kids typically become obese grown-ups.

Forty-two percent is (obviously) almost half the population.

Therefore, moving it from macro to micro, if you’re in a room with only one other person; either you or he will be — or is currently — obese. If not you, it’s your sister, your husband, your child, your best friend, your parent, or most likely, several people you care about. Obesity affects not only the afflicted, but also every soul who loves, or interacts with, someone who’s obese — and, for better or worse, that’s every solitary, single one of us.

I am not writing this to make us aware of a problem of which we previously were ignorant.

Rather, I am concerned about the “fat wars” appearing to be more prevalent as this problem continues. Sadly, there is a “we” versus “them” mentality in the battle against obesity.

I [Read more…]

You’re going to wear THAT for your wedding?

April 18, 2012 by Scott "Q" Marcus Leave a Comment

I do not wish to be the type of person who slowly, sadly shakes his head, pining for a simpler past, longingly opening conversations with “When I was a kid…” Moreover, when I become aware of an unfortunate societal trend, I try to prevent cranking up my inner curmudgeon, cynically inquiring of my peers, “What has gone wrong with our society?”

Having said that, something has gone wrong with our society because — when I was a kid — brides-to-be didn’t shove tubes up their noses to lose weight before their weddings.

While skimming TV channels, images of young women commuting to work with feeding tubes hanging from their noses flitted across the screen. They didn’t seem ill; quite the contrary, they looked to be “in the pink” (yet another reference from “when I was a kid”). The reporter explained that some women with upcoming nuptials are resorting to a severe calorie-restricted crash diet to drop ten to 20 pounds in the two weeks prior to their big days. That unto itself is not newsworthy; long before “I was a kid,” I imagine women (and even some men) resorted to last minute diets in order to present their best in front of friends, family, and God.

What was exceptional was that, in these cases, the method of choice consisted of consuming only 800 calories a day, delivered in the form of shakes served through a medically implanted feeding tube threaded through the woman’s nose, down the esophagus, and into her stomach. The tube remains in place ten days and the procedure costs about $1,500. Side effects include bad breath, constipation and dizziness. (Nothing says, “kiss the bride” like halitosis.) The doctor performing the procedure said, “At first I decided not to do it for people who just want to lose a few pounds. But then I thought, why should I say five or ten pounds are not enough? People want to be perfect.”

As long as there has been belly fat, there have been odd and controversial get-thin-quick schemes.

Yet, this is beyond the pale. [Read more…]

How to Get Along Better With Co-Workers & Break Your Annoying Habits

April 10, 2012 by Featured Author Leave a Comment

I’d always prided myself on being an excellent employee with a hard work ethic and focus on pleasing the client.

But, until recently, I never realized I was an annoying coworker to others in the office. I came to work on time, often arriving early, did my work and greatly increased the company’s profits. But unbeknownst to me, some of my work habits were driving the other workers in the office nuts, even though that was never my intention.

At the very least, you and your coworkers will spend 40 hours per week together. If travel and overtime occurs, those hours are extended even further. Bad habits such as cellphone use, being too talkative, leaving work early and surfing the Internet can annoy your office mates the way they were annoying mine. The tips below can help you avoid becoming an annoying worker like I was.

Identify Bad Habits. It’s simply not possible to change a habit if you don’t realize a negative one exists. Fortunately, a kind coworker took me aside one day and informed me that my talkative nature was getting on everyone’s nerves. I thought I was being friendly, but she let me know that I had a tendency to be too talkative and it was distracting people from their work. Once I knew my chatty ways were bothering other people in the office I was able to fix the problem.
Replace the Negative With the Positive. I often spent so much time talking during the workday that I had to skip lunch and eat while working at my desk. After my coworker talked to me a light bulb went on and I realized that, if I was more productive and less talkative during the day, I could join my coworkers in the cafeteria for lunch. When you can find a positive substitute for a negative habit, it’s easy to make a change.
Productive Association. Whether we realize it or not, we create associations in our minds between events and people. Some of my coworkers had associated me with feelings of annoyance. I had associated some of mine with rudeness. When I started saving my talkativeness for lunchtime my coworkers and I got along much better and started spending more time working together on projects. Soon gathering around one another’s desks created an association of productivity…something we all appreciated.
Use Willpower for Greater Success. There are still times when a thought pops into my head and I feel the urge to share it with my coworkers right away. But, instead, I write it down and save it for later or record a message on my PDF. Practicing willpower has helped me focus my time and attention on my work and, as a result, our entire office has increased sales and company profits.

Nowadays, many businesses are streamlining their hiring process and weeding out potentially ineffective employees through employee assessments. Companies such as Exact Hire help businesses narrow down their candidates by identifying positive and negative behaviors and characteristics. Those who are searching for a job are smart to nix those bad habits before the first interview to ensure they stand a chance of getting through an employee assessment with success. Although it’s possible to break bad habits like I did, it’s better to take a proactive approach by not being an annoying coworker in the first place. Thankfully, I was able to change my habits and repair the relationships I had with my coworkers. But it wasn’t easy and I had to work twice as hard to gain their trust and respect.

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